Some Lagos State residents on Tuesday commended the government on its water channeling and carnal dredging project ahead of the predicted long rainfall and heavy flooding this year.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos reports that the Nigeria Metrological Agency (NIMENT) had forecasted long rainfall and flooding in the country for 2020, while advising states to put up measures to mitigate its impact.
The residents, who thronged the Ojo-Onireke carnal where one of the dredging tractors got stuck in the mud and was being rescued by another, expressed satisfaction on the quality of work done.
Mr Basil Ukachukwu, the President Onireke Landlord and Residents Association said that with the level and depth of the dredged water channel, the impact of flooding in the area would be minimized.
“The sweeping of the carnal has been ongoing since December 2019 with the operators coming every other month to ensure removal of anything that will obstruct water flow.
“After the December dredging, there appeared the water hyacinth and other aquatic leaves on the water to our surprise were removed by the operators in the third week of January,” he said.
Mr Dapo Adegbite, a retired public school teacher, whose two-wing detached bungalow along the Ojo Lagoon was still undergoing repairs from the 2019 flooding said that he had spent N500, 000 on the building since after the flooding.
Adegbite thanked the state government for the intervention measure which he said would bring relief to many whose houses were prone to be affected by the flood.
According to him, during the peak of the flood last year, many of us relocated elsewhere to avoid loss of lives.
He said that the majority of residents in the area just came back from the places they went to seek refuge upland a few months back, saying with the job done on carnal, it would serve as a protection to the houses affected by the flood.
Mr Jato Alabi, an engineer with the Environment Department of Ojo Local Government Area (LGA) said that carnal dredging in the state had been receiving good attention from the state actors.
He warned residents to desist from dumping refuse on water channels to avoid flooding, adding that the condition of the channels could now absorb water upsurge from the lagoon. (NAN)
